


Dark Matter

by 13Crown



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: AU, BAMF Charlie, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bella decided to stay in Arizona, Canon Relationships, Canon Typical Violence, Charlie Centric, Gen, No Bashing, No Bella Swan, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13Crown/pseuds/13Crown
Summary: About three things Charlie Swan was absolutely positive. First, Dr. Carlisle Cullen was a vampire. Second, said doctor had a wife and five adopted teenagers who where most definitively also vampires. Third, people had been turning up drained of blood. Charlie Swan was unconditionally and irrevocably in over his head. For the first time he was glad Bella decided to stay in Arizona.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 42





	1. Why are conversations so freaking hard?

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I never thought that I would write for Twilight ever again. But here I am. Writing Twilight Fan-Fiction. This is based on a tumblr post I saw that I couldn’t stop thinking about. 
> 
> It’s rated T for swearing. Rating and Tags will be updated as the story progresses. I did not plan this out. So the story will be as much a surprise to me as it is to you.
> 
> Also it’s been like years since I revisited the books or the movies. So I’ll blame any inaccuracies on that. I am planning on doing that before I post the next chapter, so don’t expect an update in the next few days.
> 
> I may still take some liberties here and there (who am I kidding, I am definitely taking some creative liberties). But I will try to keep it as close to canon as possible. 
> 
> English is not my native language and I also do not have a beta. So feel free to point out any mistakes. Or don’t. It’s a free world. You do you.

They had been sitting in silence for about five minutes. Charlie was beginning to regret picking up the teenager. He was just sitting there. Stupidly stiff in his seat with that god dammed dog in his lap. It was happily licking the fingers of ... shit what was his name again? Jared? Jack? It was licking up a bit of blood from his knuckles and the more it went away, the more Jack seemed to relax. He seemed mesmerised too. As if it was a miracle that a dog he saved from other dumb teenagers had taken a liking to him.

Charlie sighed. Loudly. Jack looked up. He had these weird golden eyes that almost convinced Charlie that he was actually the doctor’s son. Although now that he was staring at them he could see that the hue was slightly off. Not that Charlie made it a habit to stare into other men‘s eyes, but Dr. Cullen had strange ones. This kid too.

“Should I try his cellphone?“ Jack said and blinked innocently at Charlie. As if the cop had not seen him take down three guys on his own without so much as a scratch. The teenagers -who were already getting their ear chewed off by their parents in the lobby- were all fine. A few bruises, some scratches from when they hit the pavement. Jack had barely touched them. Only one had a broken nose. The brave one who had said something Charlie hadn‘t been able to hear from the distance. Jack had punched him so fast the motion had been barely more than a blur.

“Go ahead.“ Jack hesitated. Or was it Jared? Jack sounded too short. God dammit why didn’t he write his name down? Jared looked sheepish for a second.

“I’m afraid, I don‘t have a cellphone. May I use...?“ He gestured to the phone that was sitting on the desk. The one Charlie had used to unsuccessfully try and reach his parents. Charlie shoved it over the table all the while wondering who said „I‘m afraid“ and „May I“ in one breath.

Jared reached out for the handset. The pale skin of his wrist shone in the light of his desk lamp. It revealed some weird scars. Two half circles. Dozens of them. Bite marks. Human sized. The wrist disappeared from his field of view and he was left to wonder what kind of sick person caused these scars. Charlie knew that Jared was adopted. Dr. Cullen had told him so the one time he was at the hospital after some drunk had decided to cause a scene. Dr. Cullen talked about his kids a lot. Never mentioned that one of them had been abused though.

“Carlisle?” Huh, he didn’t call him Dad. “It’s me, Jasper.” Right. Jasper. Of course. “No, I’m fine. Yes, I did pick that up. No, Alice is not with me. I don’t know. At home.” Jasper smiled apologetically at him. Charlie leaned back in his chair and let him continue. He noticed that the kid did not like taking up someone’s time. Or attention. The dog yapped softly and tugged at the hand that had stopped stroking him. “Yeah, about that. I’ve kinda run into trouble. It’s not bad. I just need you to pick me up.” There was a long pause. Jasper was listening and nodding and looking more and more nervous by the second. “Stop lecturing me. Why do you always assume the worst? I already told you. I’m fine. Trust me. Just pick me up. I’m at the police station.” There was another long pause. Charlie could feel the frustration and hurt radiating off Jasper. Whatever that was about, it seemed like a sore topic. Then Jasper hung up. Just like that. No Goodbye. No nothing. And he sat there steaming in what could only be described as self-pity for a few seconds.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, I apologise that was...” He stopped. Looking like he was searching for a word and then shook his head. “Carlisle will pick me up in ten.”

“Get into trouble a lot?” Charlie had to ask. If that was going to be a regular occurrence he would not be so lenient next time.

“No.” Jasper shook his head firmly. “Not anymore.” Charlie kept staring at him. It was something he always used to do with Bells when she was little and he felt like she wasn’t giving him the full story. It worked like a charm every time. “I got involved with the wrong kind of people once.” He paused, petting the dog as if it calmed him down. “Drew the wrong kind of attention. But that was before... everything. I only ever saw them once after... after Carlisle adopted me. But he’s been worried ever since. It’s like he doesn’t trust me.”

“It means he cares.” Charlie wasn’t sure what he was doing. He certainly wasn’t the best candidate to voice his opinion on fatherhood. But he also knew that Dr. Cullen adored his children. “He worries because he cares about you and your future. Not because he doesn’t trust you.”

“I... I never thought about it like that.” Jasper seemed deep in thought and Charlie let him be for a while and began filling out the paperwork.

**

Dr. Cullen did arrive exactly ten minutes later. Charlie was getting himself a coffee from the vending machine when he saw the doctor walk in. As always he looked like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine. But his clothes were a bit rumpled, his collar-length hair ruffled and if possible he seemed paler than usual. He did look like he rushed here directly from the hospital. It made Charlie like him a bit more. The doctor spotted him almost immediately. He smiled although it did not reach his worried eyes. But then Stacey called out to Dr. Cullen from the reception and his attention was taken elsewhere. Charlie waited for a few moments. The coffee cup was burning his hand, but he still took a tongue scalding sip. He couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying, but Stacey was giggling a lot. She did this twirly thing with a lock of her brown hair and beamed at Dr. Cullen and goddamn it. The guy was married. Get it together, Stacey. Taking pity on Dr. Cullen Charlie stepped forward.

“Dr. Cullen? Come in, your son is waiting.” The doctor politely excused himself from the situation and came over. He looked tired with circles under his eyes. Charlie couldn’t blame him. From what he knew the guy worked his ass of. Dr. Cullen was a brilliant doctor. Last he heard there were even patients who travelled to Forks to be treated by him.

“Chief Swan, is everything alright? What happened? Jasper did not tell me anything. Did someone get hurt?” The last question did make Charlie wonder. What the hell Jasper had gotten up to in the past that caused Dr. Cullen to immediately jump to that conclusion? As far as Charlie knew the kids criminal record was squeaky clean.

“Actually yes, but nothing serious. The kid got himself into a fight over a small puppy. There were three boys who were harassing the dog. Your son decided to step in. It got violent pretty fast. Apparently they really don’t like each other. Jasper broke Timothy's nose.” Dr. Cullen's face went from worry to pride and back again to worry before finally settling on shock. 

“He broke his nose?” His tone was coloured with the typical disbelief of a parent who’s child _would never_.

“In one clean punch. Jasper sure knows how to fight.” At that Dr. Cullen's shoulders slumped a little as if it was his fault that the teenager new how to hold his own in a fight. But from what Jasper had told Charlie that started long before he ever met him.

“Did it bleed? Is Jasper fine? He... he doesn’t like to see blood.” Charlie’s mind instantly flashed to how the kid had relaxed once the blood had been licked off his knuckles. So that’s why Charlie had barely been able to get him to talk.

“Yeah, a bit” It had bled a lot. “Jasper seems fine and Timothy is on his way to the hospital to get it set. No one is pressing charges.”

“Thank god.”

Charlie nodded and took a long sip from his coffee that burned his tongue and the back of his throat. For a moment he wondered if he should tell him to talk to his child about violence, breaking the law and all that shit. But Dr. Cullen striked him as a sensible fellow who would most certainly have a talk with his son. He finally settled on: “He is waiting in my office.” He nodded in the direction of his office before pointedly turning around and walking to the reception to talk to Stacey.

“He’s so...”

“Please don’t.” Charlie stopped her before she could finish her sentence. At once Stacey straightened from where she had been leaning on the counter to get a better look at Dr. Cullen. A blush coloured her pale cheeks. She busily stacked some papers for a few seconds before shyly peeking through her lashes at him. Charlie sighed. “Fine, you’ve got five seconds.”

“He’s so perfect.” Well, not exactly what Charlie had been expecting. “And handsome and I would definitely hit that.” Scratch that, exactly what Charlie had been expecting. “But did you see how worried he was about his son? He came rushing from work! He’s like a prince. A modern prince. Handsome, caring, successful...”

“Okay, that’s enough. Your five seconds are long over.” Stacey pouted but finally dropped the topic. For a few moments they stood there in silence. Charlie sipping his coffee and Stacey typing away at her computer. Every once in a while Charlie glanced at her wondering if he should ask, if this was the right time, if he even wanted to know...

“Spit it out, Charlie. You’re making me nervous with all the staring.” Stacey smiled and suddenly Charlie felt as if he had been put on the spot.

“I... uhm... I just wondered... Did anyone call today?” Stacey blinked at him. “I mean, when I was away. Did anyone...”

“You know.” She drawled and Charlie could already tell that she wasn’t going to make this easy. “This is a police station. A lot of people call.” Sometimes Charlie wondered why he had hired her. “Was there a call for me, Stacey?” She shook her head. Charlie tried to not seem disappointed. It’s okay. She will call. “Why? Are you expecting a call? From a woman perhaps?”

"Just from my daughter.” Stacey looked a bit taken aback. Then it seemed to click and Charlie thought about what to say so he wouldn’t have to deal with her pity. But he could see the Cullens coming out of his office. Jasper went straight for the door only mumbling a small goodbye while passing them. Dr. Cullen lingered a bit. The small dog perched on his arm. Perfect. Charlie could already see all sense of reason leaving Stacey's head.

“Thank you, Chief.” Charlie smiled a bit.

“Nothing to thank me for. You’ve got a good kid. Just make sure that he doesn’t make a habit of it.”

“So the dog...” The doctor looked a bit unsure. As if he had never held an animal before. “Should I leave it here or take care of it myself. It seems... hungry.”

“Just leave it here. We‘re gonna take him to the vet. See if he‘s chipped.“ Stacey's blank looked grated on his nerves. So he took the puppy from Dr. Cullen who honestly looked a bit relieved to be rid of it and placed it on top of the counter. “In fact. Why don’t you go do it right now?”

“Me?” squeaked Stacey. She clasped her hand over her mouth. Her cheeks growing pink. “I mean, yeah. Sure thing, boss.” She gingerly picked up the dog who seemed a bit confused at being passed around so often and made to leave her desk.

“It was nice to meet you.” said Dr. Cullen polite as ever.

“I loved it!” Stacey cursed under her breath. “I mean, it’s my pleasure.” At that she quickly duck her head and left for the door.

“You sure have an interesting effect on women.” Charlie commented. He had heard rumours about Dr. Cullen's female colleagues having trouble concentrating around him. But he had never seen it in action.

“I’m not sure about that. I haven’t even said anything out of the ordinary.” Charlie thought for a moment that it was unfair to all other men for him to be this handsome, successful and humble.

“You didn’t have to.” mumbled Charlie under his breath. “Well, it was nice seeing you again. Next time I would very much like it to not be at my police station.” At that Carlisle chuckled.

“I’ll see to that, Mr. Swan. Until next time.”

“Yeah, goodbye.” Charlie watched him go for a while. Wondering how Bill could have ever thought that there was something wrong with him.

**

“You didn’t have to come all this way.” said Charlie. He stood there holding the box with fish stew in his hands and feeling awkward. Billy looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders.

“I thought you might want some and I had some time.” His attempt to casually shrug the gesture of was ruined by his son Jacob commenting: “I didn’t.” He was leaning against the hood of his car with all the air of a teenager who had to stay home because of chores.

“I don’t want to keep you, if you got plans...” Charlie hated this. Neither of them had actually apologised after their last fight. They had simply agreed to disagree and it stood between like some fucking invisible wall. Again.

“I don’t. We could watch the game together. Eat some of that stew.” Was Billy trying to reconnect? Did Charlie want him to? His mind flashed to the image of him alone in his home watching TV and staring at the phone respectively.

“That would be... nice.” Charlie finally said. It felt awkward but god he missed his friend. Jacob cleared his throat rather loudly.

“I hate to interrupt, but does that mean I can go to Sam's Party now?” Charlie laughed a little and nodded.

“Go. I will drive your father home.” For a moment Jacob hesitated, his dark eyes looking at his father waiting for permission.

“What did I say, you should do when Chief Swan tells you something?” His friend asked sharply, raising an eyebrow. A wide grin split on Jacobs face revealing his perfectly white teeth.

“That I should do what he says.” He eagerly opened the car door and sat. His hand moved to close the door, but then he stuck his head back out to grin at Charlie. “Thanks. You’re awesome.”

“You’re welcome. Now go enjoy yourself.” They watched him drive of in silence. Both equally fond of the teenager.

“You know that he’s not allowed to drive yet.” As the Chief Charlie felt the need to state this. Even if he had no intention of enforcing the law on his best friends son.

“And who’s going to stop him? The police?” At that they both looked at each other for a few seconds in total silence. Then Charlie’s mouth twitched a bit in his effort to contain his smile. That was all it took to have both of them burst out with laughter.

**

Four beers and four innings later all the residue awkwardness had filtered out of their systems. Now replaced with the relaxing buzz of alcohol. Charlie went to the kitchen and got Billy another beer while he himself opted for some water. He still had to drive after all and what kind of Chief would he be if he caused an accident while inebriated. Stacey would never let him live that down. 

“So did you hear anything from Bella yet?” The question was phrased very casually but it still felt like a punch to the gut. Charlie hesitated. Not sure what he was supposed to say.

“No, she wanted to call today. To tell me some more details about when she would be arriving and how long she planned to stay.” He took a gulp of water. Swallowing down the uneasy feeling in his chest. “But I’m honestly not sure if she is coming.”

“You seemed pretty sure of that last time we spoke.”

“Well, René got into a huge fight with Phil. Their travel plans are kind of laid on ice for the time being.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise. That makes it seem like it’s set in stone.” He playfully slapped Billy’s upper arm. The man winced and Charlie instantly felt bad.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you? Aren’t you feeling well...” A shit eating grin spread across Billy’s features, effectively shut him up. “You’re a fucking asshole.” This time Charlie hit him. Hard. But his friend only laughed and shrugged it off.

“I may be confined to this wheel chair but never underestimate the strength in my arms.” Billy flexed his biceps. “I did not feel a thing.”

“It was all about the gesture.”

“Of course it was.”

“I’m strong too. I’m a police officer. I have to be.”

“Sure you are.” Charlie hated that tone.

“Okay, fine. Arm wrestling. Right here right now. Loser has to do the dishes.” He challenged, already rolling up his sleeves. Billy had that cocky grin on his lips.

“You sure you wanna do it?”

“Hell yes.”

“Your loss.”

Billy placed his elbow on the arm rest of his wheelchair and Charlie copied him. They grasped hands, looked each other firmly in the eye and nodded. A small jutting forward of their chins that was equal parts go-signal and challenge.

“On my mark. One, two, three.” They were quiet evenly matched. Although Charlie felt like he had to put a lot more effort in than Billy.

“Come on.” He ground out between his teeth. He put a little more strength in and now he could feel Billy struggle to push against him. 

“Not so strong now, huh?” said Billy. 

“I’m just giving you a chance.”

They struggled like this for a few more seconds until Charlie heard a low thump coming from upstairs. Startled he looked up as if he could see right through the ceiling to whatever had caused the sound. His hand got promptly pushed down onto the armrest.

“Told ya.”

“Did you hear that?” He didn’t stop staring, waiting and straining his ears in case he heard it again. Confused Billy now followed his gaze, furrowing his eyebrows and listening. For a few seconds there was only the sound of the TV commentating on the baseball game that was now back on from the commercial break. But Charlie didn’t want to turn it off in case someone really was upstairs. He didn’t want them to know that they knew. “Maybe it was noth-“ There. Again. Louder this time. Billy had heard it too. He could see it in his eyes.

They looked at each other in silent agreement. Charlie moved to the hallway. Peering around the corner and up the stairs. Nothing moved. Hallway and stairs were clear. He grabbed his gun from where it had still been hanging in its holster next to his jacket. He clipped the safety off and slowly walked up the stairs. Bells old bedroom was clear. The bathroom was clear. That only left...

Charlie took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest. The door to his bedroom was left slightly a jar. Charlie couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But he still kept his finger on the trigger as he pushed the door open. The room was empty. His window was open. A slight breeze caused the drapes to flutter. Everything seemed quiet, peaceful even. Charlie still kept his gun raised as he went to check the closet. Empty. Under the bed. Also empty. 

Then he noticed that the books that had been stacked on the windowsill had fallen down. That must have been the cause of the noise. Some part of him wanted to believe that they got knocked off by a strong gust of wind. But he knew that he had closed the window this morning. He always did before leaving the house. Charlie walked up to the window and stuck his head out. His eyes scanned the backyard. Looking for something amiss. There wasn’t anything. Nothing moved. Everything was eerily silent. Still, Charlie couldn’t help but feel as if he was being watched.


	2. This is why no one likes surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter was hard. The second half was already done last week but then I added scene after scene until it felt right. Or as right as it’s going to get at the moment. And then I had cut some of it off and leave it for the next chapter.
> 
> I think I have a very rough idea about where this is going right now. There are some things I want to happen and that need to happen. But other than that I’m flying completely blind here. 
> 
> Updates will come every other week or so.

Thursday afternoon was steak and cobbler time. Charlie didn’t make the rules. That’s just how it was ever since Charlie had decided to fuck it and not cook every day of his life. Cooking was something he had never been that good at anyway. He enjoyed coming here and only having to smile at Cora before she would shout, “The usual?”. All Charlie had to do was nod and take his seat at his favourite table in the corner. It was always free when he arrived.

He usually looked forward to eating here and today was no exception to that. Though there was this lingering nervousness in his stomach. An anxiety that had not dissipated from his restless night. It made the stake a little harder to swallow than usual which was damn shame.

Charlie had brought his laptop with him. The thought that someone could have been in his home - could have gotten in without him knowing - troubled him. He didn’t know what he would get. So he decided to look at his options for some home security. Perhaps a lock for his windows or did he need one of those alarms? The once who contacted the police? That may be a bit superfluous. He was the police. 

“Did you bring your work to your lunch break again?” Charlie glanced up at Waylon's smiling face. He was a balding, middle-aged man that had somehow taken a liking to him 30 years ago. They had been friends ever since. „Charlie, we talked about this. You need to let go from time to time.” He sat down at the table, thus forcing Charlie to try to make some space for his coffee.

“This is not work.” Charlie stacked his finished plates and pulled his laptop into the space he had gained.

“What is it then?” Waylon had the kind of curiosity that got on people’s nerves. Or maybe he only got on Charlie’s nerves, because Charlie was a rather private person. He didn’t feel like telling anyone that he was looking at security systems, because someone may or may not have broken in last night. Bad enough that Billy worried about him. He didn’t need someone else telling him what to do about it.

“Just trying to find a lock for my window.” Charlie told him, because Waylon was not above peeking at his screen. “The old one broke.” There was no old one.

“That’s why you need a whole alarm system in your home?”

“What?”

“I can see the reflection of your screen in the window.” Waylon nodded to the window behind him and Charlie turned around and... Damn it. He was right. Curse Waylon's cop intuition. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, of course. Everything is... peachy.” Charlie should invest in better lies, for he was not doing well for himself in that department. “I saw an ad and got side-tracked a bit.” He closed the tab and opened it back up to the window locks. 

“Yeah, right.” Waylon gave him the look - the _don’t shit with me I’m a police officer_ look - before he decided to mercifully drop the topic. That’s why they were such good friends. They knew when to push and when to back off. “I can’t wait for this evening. It’s going to be great. We’ll have fun and you can come out of whatever hole you have crawled into the last few days.”

“This evening?” Did they have plans? Charlie didn’t remember making plans for today.

“Yeah, at the lodge? You know, to celebrate Joe's engagement.” Fuck, he had forgotten about that. Waylon's little brother was getting married.

“Yes, of course. The celebration. The engagement celebration. The celebration of Joe and Marie’s soon to be marriage.” Waylon laughed.  “You forgot.”

“Yeah,” Charlie admitted. “But that doesn’t matter, because I have time anyway.” As if the universe wanted to prove him wrong his phone decided to go off at that exact moment. Charlie glanced at it, somehow hoping it was Bells, while simultaneously knowing that it was not. Mason County Police Department. Damn it. More work. He picked up. 

“Hello, am I speaking to Chief Swan?” It was Bobby. Chief of police.

“You’re speaking to him.”

“Thank god. We’re short on staff and someone found a dead body at a mill. We could really use a hand here.” Driving to Mason County would mean that he wasn’t going to make it to the celebration. Charlie tried to feel bad about it. He really did.

“Text me the address and I’ll head right over.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Swan.”

“You owe me one, Bob.”

Waylon gave him a knowing look then sighed and stood up.

“So I guess you won’t be able to make it, huh?” He asked already putting on his coat and beanie.

“I’m afraid not. Some guy died at one of the mills in Mason County and they need manpower.” It was not the most ideal situation. Charlie would much rather have stayed and finished his research, but duty called.

“Shit, good luck.”

“Thanks.” Charlie closed his laptop and began packing up. “Please tell Joe and Marie that I’m sorry that I can’t make it,” He took a few notes out of his wallet and placed them upon the table. “And congratulations,” He took his jacket and backpack and paused again. „and greet Kate for me. Tell her to stop worrying so much.“

**

It was an open and shut case. A security guard had been attacked on the job. No one had seen anything and the camera outside hadn‘t been working for weeks. The body was found on the fire escape. Bite marks that were too large and messy to be human littered his neck and arms and legs. There was no indication of human involvement. It was what Charlie had reported to the Mason County police department. They had told him that there had been some wolf sightings recently. 

Charlie could leave now. He could get back into his car and, if he ignored the speed limit, make it to dinner at the Lodge. Still something didn‘t quite add up. He walked along the fire escape, a platform big enough to house quite a few people. It was pretty high up for an animal to have gotten this far. The guard had only been killed. Nothing had actually tried to eat him. There was also a suspiciously little amount of blood spilled. He had a gut feeling that this wasn‘t it. That there was something that he was missing. But he had nothing to suggest that it was anything but an animal attack. That‘s why he shut the case and told the police to get their hunters.

Charlie leaned on the railing and watched the forest. Not sure what he was looking for. Tracks? An animal? Whatever it was, he was tense. There was nothing of course. Nothing but the chirping of... Huh, no birds. Had the attack scared them off? The realisation revealed a sudden eerie stillness to him. Like the life had been sucked out of the forest and he only now noticed. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. No matter how often his eyes scanned the tree-line, he didn’t see anything. So why was there this uneasy feeling in his stomach? Why did he feel like there was someone out there? Unasked for, Charlies mind wandered to last night. To him standing in an empty room staring out of his window and into a silent forest. No, this was different. He was being paranoid. There was no way someone was watching him here. No fucking way.

**

In Forks it rained more often than it didn’t. Usually Charlie had no problem with that. He actually liked the rain. Liked to hear it patter against the window or the roof of his car. It was calming. Today Charlie wanted nothing more than for it to stop. He didn’t feel like leaving his car at all.  For a moment he was convinced that he would even drive by a crime to avoid that. Officer Jim was sitting in the passenger seat and looking out of the window. Charlie wasn‘t sure if he could actually see anything through the fog that had settled over the streets. He seemed a bit pale although his brown complexion made it a bit hard for Charlie to tell. He considered asking about it. But Jim had probably stayed up all night playing video games . While Charlie did not mind hearing about his interests, he was also acutely aware of the fact that he had nowhere else to go to. Jim would take his inability to come up with a more interesting topic as a go signal to delve deeper into the game and Charlie would be completely lost. It had happened more times than Charlie cared to count. 

“That old lady over there is definitely jay walking.” The Officer pointed out. Charlie squinted through the fog. He could see the red light just fine and underneath... Yeah, that was a women hurrying through the rain. Sometimes Charlie wondered how the rain could catch anyone by surprise in this city.

“I didn’t see her.” Charlie meant it. He was not getting out of this car before they arrived at their destination. Especially not for some harmless jaywalking.

“Must have been a trick of the light.” Jim agreed. “Honestly, who would commit a crime outside in this weather anyway?” He reached for the radio and turned it on. Some soft music started playing and he hummed along. Jim always did that when he tried to stay focussed even though there was nothing specific to focus on. It had the kind of calming quality that made Charlie relax.

“Okay, we’re going to cut this short.” At the next intersection he turned left instead of right and brought them on the route to the supermarket. “Do you have the list?” Stacey had given them a long list of things that they should buy so they would be ready for the party tomorrow. Waylon was turning 45 and Kate and Stacey had decided to throw him a surprise party at the precinct.

“Yes, don’t worry. I wrote everything down.”

“I do worry. Stacey will behead us, no questions asked, if we mess this up.” Jim laughed.

“Worse, she will get Steve to help her and I can’t face his look of disappointment.” Deputy Steve's look of disappointment deserved a trademark. He liked to level it on anyone who he thought was not living up to be his best self. You would do something wrong and Steve would be there and tell you that he knows you can do better than that. Charlie wasn’t sure what kind of sorcery that was, but it was pretty damn effective.

“Let’s avoid that.”

Charlie pulled into the parking lot. Of course all the parking spots right next to the entrance where taken. Seemed like he would have to walk through the rain after all. At least Jim had an umbrella on him.  They got out and quickly made their way to the building. To his surprise, Jasper was standing next to the entrance, waiting for someone. At his feet sat the dog he had saved. What was the dog doing here? Charlie was pretty sure that it had ended up at a shelter.

“Hello, Jasper.” Charlie was a bit proud of himself that he remembered his name.

“Hello, Chief Swan. Officer Jim.” This time Jasper seemed way more relaxed than he did last time.

“Did you work things out with your father?”

“Yeah, I did. I wanted to thank you for what you said. I guess, I needed to hear that.”

“Always happy to be of service.” It seemed kind of strange that he actually helped a son and his father work something out. But it made Charlie hopeful that he was not a lost cause himself. “Did you adopt the dog?”

”No, I didn’t. It belongs to...” He didn’t get to finish the sentence. Some teenager came running out of the supermarket with what seemed like dog food in their arms.

“Jazz! I got everything. Thanks for waiting.” They stopped the moment they noticed the police. The kid had short black hair, androgynous features and a gender-neutral  clothing style. Charlie couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl. “Is everything alright? Whatever is going on I can assure you Officers that Jasper was waaaay to busy looking after Sumo to cause any trouble.”

“No, he’s not in trouble.” Jim said quickly. “We bumped into him and Sumo.” The kid stood next to Jasper, seemingly ready to defend their friend at a moment's notice. Somehow it struck Charlie as odd. Not that the Cullen kid had made a friend, but something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Next to the kid who was fidgeting the whole time, Jasper seemed somehow... frozen. The thought troubled Charlie long after they had said their goodbyes and walked into the store. He just wasn’t sure why.

**

There was something about standing in the decorated department full of people that made Charlie want to immediately go back home. They were having a small surprise birthday Party for Officer Waylon. Everyone was having a good time. All the officers where here and Waylon's other friends and family had also come. It made Charlie feel a bit awkward. But he had allowed the surprise party to be held at the police department and Waylon was a good friend of his. Still, he did consider leaving for a full minute until Stacey brought him back out of his musings. She dumped a bag of groceries in his arms without even looking at him. After she had done the same to Deputy Mark and Deputy Steve she clapped her hands together. 

“Okay, Charlie place this on the big table in the middle. Mark this one goes into the refrigerator and Steve you...” She squinted at his bag for a second. “I’m not sure. Just go with Charlie.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Mark winked at her and saluted. He was tall, in his late twenties and carried himself with an easy confidence that made him popular with women. Stacey rolled her  eyes at him and shooed him away.

“Can you believe him?” She asked but her smile was fond. Charlie was just glad that after their disastrous office romance she and Mark were able to talk again. Their relationship had been a prime example on why dating your colleague was not always the best idea.

“I’m gonna pack this out.” Charlie headed for the makeshift table in the middle of the lobby before he could be drawn into a conversation about Mark. They had put together a few desks to make this work. Some cake and a few bowls of food where already sitting there, waiting to be eaten. The Forge family were blowing up balloons in all kinds of colours. They had somehow managed to convince Officer Jim to join them. The latter did not look pleased. He fixed Charlie with his dark eyes, mimed a pistol and aimed it at his head.

“You’re doing great.” Charlie commented smiling. Somehow happier for not having to blow up balloons. Setting the table was a far more enjoyable job. “Don’t slack off now.” Jim rolled his eyes at him and stretched out another balloon in his hands. From what Charlie could tell it had _Happy Birthday_ written on it. Like the banner hanging over the reception.

“Waylon is going to love this.” Jim said. He massaged his cheeks with his thumb and pointer finger for a moment before blowing into it.

“Of course he will.” Charlie agreed while unpacking the snacks from his bag. Waylon would complain of course. He always did at first when you went out of your way to do something nice for him. But everyone in town knew that Waylon loved surprises. And parties. Especially surprise parties. Jim tied his ballon off with a knot and let it float to the floor.

“He’s got no other choice. I’ve been blowing my lungs out for twenty minutes. He has to love it or I will smother him with all the balloons I can find.”

“That sounds a bit drastic.” said Steve who had finally come over. He ran his hand through his blonde hair, seemingly trying to make it stick but it fell right back into his eyes. “I say, we feed him all the cake, if he even so much as thinks about criticising our efforts.”

“Waylon is diabetic.” Charlie chimed in. Not that this little fact had ever kept Waylon from stuffing his face with all kinds of sweets.

“Exactly.” Steve beamed at him and added: “He deserves a sweet death. What better way to go than dying while doing something you love?” It was kind of unnerving how he managed to say that while sounding so fucking innocent. But that was Steve's specialty. He looked like such a sweet and nice guy that hearing him so much as curse sounded blasphemous. Jim laughed. Of course he did. He freaking loved it when Steve got like that.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Jim and Steve seemed like they both wanted to argue for a second but Charlie didn’t let them. “Waylon loves this. He will not complain. I’ll make sure of that. I didn’t go through all this trouble just to listen to him say that this is too much and...”

“So unnecessary?” Steve provided while pitching his voice deeper to imitate Waylon. It sounded nothing like him but Charlie gave him points for trying.

“And way too much effort. Why didn‘t you just buy me a gift card?” finished Jim in the same tone. With a sigh Charlie nodded. Fair enough, Waylon did always say stuff like that.

“Remember that one case, where a woman had killed her husband with a gift card, because she wanted a real present?” Steve cocked his head to the side as if he was remembering it in vivid detail. Well, he probably did. It was his first case.

“This is a birthday party. No more talking about killing people or cases.” Charlie ended the conversation and left the table. Knowing full well that they would pick up the topic again after a few minutes. They always ended up talking about work after all. 

Charlie spotted Kate, Waylon’s wife, at one of the desk in the corner and walked up to her. She was writing something on a card. She had this kind of neat and pretty handwriting that made even her shopping list look like something to be framed. Usually Charlie did not keep cards for long but he still had every single one Kate had ever written him. They were that good.

“This looks lovely.” He said. Kate beamed at him. Charlie couldn’t help but return the smile. Kate was one of the nicest people he knew. She had checked up on him countless times after his parents had both passed away.

“Thank you, Charles. For everything. Waylon will be so happy.”

“No need to thank me. Honestly, I feel like your plan is making everyone’s day.“

“And how are you doing? Please tell me you are taking care of yourself.” She had that look. That motherly look that made him immediately feel guilty if he hadn’t been taking care of himself.

“I’m fine. I’m doing...” His first instinct was to say great but he felt like that was too much of a lie. “I’m doing well. Billy and I are talking again.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I am so tired of hearing you whine about it.” Her smile softened the blow. Still...  


“I do not whine.”

“Yes, you do.”  


“I was just... I was....” He couldn’t find the right word. “I didn’t whine, I...” Frustrated, Charlie gave up. “Maybe a little.”  


“See, you can’t argue with me.” There was a smug look on her face but he couldn’t be mad about it. It looked adorable on her. “Sometimes you just have to accept my wisdom.”  


“Your wisdom.” Charlie echoed. Kate nodded. Her expression was somewhere between serious and I’m kidding. He decided to go with the latter. “My apologies, wise one, I will heed your words next time.”  


“You better.” Her gaze shifted from him to the clock behind him and she cursed softly. “Now leave. I have to finish this before my husband arrives and you, Sir, are distracting me.”

**

The last of the preparations had been completed by the time Charlie had made his way back to Stacey. The guests had begun to look for a few good hiding spots. Jim and Steve were still talking about something by the table. Mark had gone back to his desk. Charlie could see him typing away at the computer. Even Stacey had a stack of papers in front of her. Although her effort to work was ruined by her anticipation. She couldn’t sit still and her gaze drifted to the closed doors again and again.  


It was 5:55 p.m. Charlie had asked Waylon to come by his office at 6 o’clock. It was his day off and his brother Joe had taking him fishing. Charlie didn’t expect him to be on time.  He considered going back to his office to get some more work done too. But he also wanted to be close when Waylon arrived. With nothing else to do he checked his phone. _No new messages, no missed calls_. He put the phone away.

“Hey Charlie?” The Chief looked up at Stacey. “Can you sign this please?” She handed him a pen and a sheet of paper Charlie skimmed over before signing. Then he checked his phone again. _No new messages, no missed calls._ “Still checking for Bella?” Charlie hated it when she did that. He didn’t want to talk about how Bells still hadn’t called and what that meant for him.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. Maybe she is too busy with packing to call.”

“Yeah.” Charlie repeated although he didn’t believe it. He knew his Bells. She hadn’t called by now because she was afraid of disappointing him. Talking about her feelings had never been one of her strengths. She had inherited that from him. 

At exactly 6 p.m. everyone suddenly grew silent. As if they all shared a hive mind that was now waiting with baited breath. Everyone had found their hiding spots. Except for Charlie who kind of awkwardly lurked around the department. Not quite sure what he was supposed to do with himself. They waited in complete silence for a few minutes. Every once in a while someone snickered or shifted quietly. Charlie could taste the anticipation in the air.

A few more minutes passed. Now everyone began to peek out of their hiding spots to get a glimpse of the still closed door. Charlie finally settled on hiding behind the corner that led to the small kitchen. He sat on the floor and grabbed his phone. For a few moments he stared at it as if he could make it ring with sheer will power alone. At the same time he was hoping that it would not ring. He didn’t want to be disappointed. Finally he averted his gaze. His eyes scanning the room or as much as he could see from his hiding spot. Mark was sitting under his desk. Texting someone. If Charlie craned his neck he could make out Jims dark mop of hair behind a potted plant. He was about to settle himself back down when his phone went off.

There was a loud bang followed by even louder cursing. Mark had hit his head and was now staring accusingly at him. Charlie mumbled an apology. For a second he didn’t want to look. But then his eyes sought out the display anyway. Bells. She was calling. Finally. He stood up and flipped the phone open.

“Hey Bells.” He whispered. The silence in the room made him feel like he somehow had to whisper. Maybe because everyone was looking at him.

“Hi Dad.” She whispered back. God, Charlie had missed hearing her voice. “Why are we whispering? Is now not a good time?” Charlie hurried to his office.  


“No. I mean, now is fine. I’m just...” He almost tripped over Jim's leg and the guy had to nerve to just shrug and smile at him. “Can you wait a second?” Steve was sitting next to  him and mouthed an I’m sorry on his behalf. Charlie flipped both of them off which earned him quiet snickering. Seriously those two.  


“Of course.” He finally managed to get in the office and close the door behind him.  


“Okay, that’s better. I’ve made it to my office.” No prying ears. No legs to trip over. Perfect.  


“Can we talk normally now?” Bells was still whispering. Charlie laughed.  


“Between us, I’m not sure we are able to do that. But we can at least stop whispering.” Charlie could feel her rolling her eyes at him on a spiritual level. And yes, it made him kind of proud.  


“Da-ad.” She said it in the same kind of tone she used when he embarrassed her but her tone was fond and that was all that mattered. Charlie smiled before he belatedly realised that his daughter couldn’t see him. 

“How are you?”  


“I’m fine.” Bells always started with I’m fine. Even if she wasn’t. “School is doing great. I’ve read this amazing book recently...” Charlie let her talk for a while. He wasn’t particularly interested in her book but he still found a pen to jot down the title. Sometimes he liked to check out the books Bells loved and search for her in the pages. It made him feel closer to her somehow although he never told her about it. “And how are you?”  


“I’m fine.” Charlie didn’t know what else to say. It’s not like there was anything special happening in his life. Except for his growing paranoia. So yeah, not anything that he would tell his daughter. He didn’t want to needlessly worry her. “We’re having a surprise birthday party for Waylon but other than that... It’s actually quite boring around here. Well except for yesterday. Some teenagers decided to kick a puppy.”  


“That’s horrible.” Bells gasped. “Why would they do that?”  


“Beats me.” He shrugged even though he was aware of the fact that Bells couldn’t see him. “One of the new kids intervened though.” The Cullen's had moved to Forks about a year ago. But that was the thing with small towns. You remained the new people, the strangers, until someone else came along.  


“Tell him he did good.”  


“I will.” The end of his story created a sort of vacuum that sucked all other topics into it, until only one remained clinging loud and clear to his mind. He felt that Bells had a similar struggle for she too was silent. Situations like these made him wish they weren’t so similar. Sometimes he needed Renée's forwardness. Like the time she had told him that she was leaving and taking Bells with her. She had cut straight to the point and it had hurt but in the end it was better this way.

“How are your mother and Phil doing?” He finally managed to ask.  


“Fine. And by that I mean they’re still not talking. Mom wants to stay for a few months longer and I...” She hesitated. “I’m staying too.” Although Charlie had mentally prepared himself to hear those words, he still found himself rapidly blinking tears out of his eyes.  


“I can’t blame you.” He had to stop and compose himself for a second. He needed his tone to be even so Bells wouldn’t feel too bad about staying. “Forks is not the kind of place I’d be wanting to move to at your age.” At her age he had wanted nothing more than to get out of here. That just didn’t work out too well for him.  


“I’m sorry.” She took his words for what they truly were. Him trying to console himself. “I will come visit though. I’d like to spend a few weeks of summer in Forks with you.”  


“Really?” Charlie hardly believed it. She hadn’t come visit him for years. “I’m... I’m glad.”  


“Yeah, me too.” Someone knocked urgently against his door. There was a voice but Charlie neither knew who it belonged to nor understood anything that had been said. Waylon must be coming.  


“I’ll have to call you back Bells.” Charlie made his way back to the door.  


“Ok, I will have some details next time.”  


“Take care of yourself.” He said but what he meant was _I love you_.  


“You too.” She said but what she meant was _I love you too_.  Charlie pocketed his phone and opened the door. Only to be attacked by stricken looking faces the moment he stepped into the lobby.

“What happened?” Immediately on alert, he began scanning everyone’s faces. Mark looked positively murderous while Steve had tears shining in his eyes. Jim had placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder and Stacey looked like she was going to be sick. But the most telling clue was Kate’s sobbing. A cold hard feeling of dread sank to his stomach. Charlie knew what was coming with a kind of familiarity that made him want to be sick.  


“Joe called.” Jim finally said. “Waylon was attacked.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say no Bella? Apparently I meant some Bella in the distant future. She is an important part of Charlies life so obviously I couldn’t cut her out completely.
> 
> I’m trying to use as little OCs as possible. But I’m gonna add as much as I need. So I’ve been reading wikia pages of people who only showed up for a few seconds... It’s actually kind of interesting. So here are the characters that make a brief appearance in the films/books: Cora, Waylon, Joe (he never makes it on screen but he exists?), Deputy Steve and Deputy Mark.
> 
> I’m considering writing from a different point of view for the next chapter. Like Carlisle or Jasper. But I might just stick to Charlie for now. 
> 
> To sparkle or not to sparkle? That is the question. The sparkling vampire thing always bothered me. I’m not sure that I’m going to keep it. Of course there will be no going out in the sun without repercussions. We’ll see.


	3. What do you do with a birthday cake if the birthday boy is dead? Asking for a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Life's been hectic. The chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I decided to cut it here so I could post something for you guys.

Although everyone had warned him not to go, Charlie went to the crime scene. He could not sit this one out. Not when Waylon was involved. Not when pacing around in the police department or worse his home would drive him insane. Mark had followed him. His explosive energy had died down somewhat the moment they got into the police car.

“I can’t believe this.” Mark said and it sounded like a curse. “I can’t believe it.” Charlie backed out of the parking lot and turned on the siren. He wanted to say something. Anything. There was a terrible build up in his chest and throat that needed to be released. But he couldn’t find any words. All he could do was grip the steering wheel tighter and press his foot down harder. Mark threw him some sideway glances as if he was second guessing letting Charlie drive. Again Charlie found no words to reassure him. Didn’t even find the will to even want to reassure him. Mark got the hint and said nothing until they arrived.

The paramedics were already there. But there was no hurry, no rush. They were packing up their equipment waiting for the police to decide if this was a crime scene. Charlie did not know what he felt. It was as if all the feelings that had built up inside his chest had just... vanished into thin air. He felt empty. Devoid of any emotion. Numb.

“You should stay in the car. I’ll call Jim. You don’t have to do this.” But he did. He owed it to Waylon to at least look at his corpse and make sure everything was dealt with the right way.

Charlie opened the door and stepped out of the car with far too much calmness. He heard Mark curse again but he was already on his way to the paramedics. Dr. Cullen stood among them. He was the first to notice him.

“Chief Swan.” The doctor greeted but Charlie barely glanced at him. He walked straight past them to the place where they had covered a body with a white sheet. Dr. Cullen followed. Charlie knelt next to the body. His fingers lifted the sheet mechanically. The face underneath it belonged to Waylon. Charlie hadn’t known that there was even a doubt in his mind until he saw him. Impossibly pale and stiff but still so unmistakably him. The realisation felt like a punch to the gut.

“What’s the verdict?” His voice sounded strange even to his own ears. Dr. Cullen hesitated for a second. As if he too wanted Charlie to reconsider working this case, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he cleared his throat and started briefing him.

“There are multiple scratch and bite-marks on the victim. Most notably the throat and arms. It seems he was attacked by some kind of animal. Perhaps a wolf, judging from the size of the injuries.” It was exactly like the security guard. The wolf was moving fast. “Cause of death was blood loss following the injuries. The estimated time of death...”

Charlie could no longer focus on the briefing. His eyes were glued to the little sprinkles of blood on Waylon’s bare chest. They almost looked like little dots of paint. The sight made Charlie’s stomach twist painfully. He was glad that there wasn’t more blood or else... Charlie had never been squeamish at the sight of blood but at this moment it felt like he was going to be sick.

A hand on his shoulder gently tugged him back up and Charlie followed. Mark. He was talking to Dr. Cullen. Their words washed over him and he barely took note of them. He couldn’t take his eyes off his friend. The friend who had turned 45 today. The same friend who had died while they had been throwing a surprise party for him. The hand on his shoulder turned him around and moved to his back.

“Get back to the car, Charlie.” Mark gave him a little push and his legs began moving all on their own. But this borrowed burst of energy ran out after only a couple of steps. He caught sight of Joe, sitting on a wooden chair and clutching a blanket around his shoulders. Charlie looked at the police car, the safe choice, the reasonable choice, and walked up to Joe instead.

“I’m so sorry.” was the first thing out of his mouth. Joe nodded. He seemed grateful. Like the words still meant something to him. As if they hadn’t lost all meaning by being heard so often. “But I have to ask, what happened?” Charlie got out his notebook and pen. The pen was shaking in his hand, refusing to stay still.

“I don’t know.” Joe croaked. He tried clearing his throat. “Waylon was cleaning up at the pier while I packed our stuff into the car. I was just gone for a view minutes. But when I came back his boat was drifting away and he was dead.” It must have been horrible. To leave for a minute and then come back to a dead brother.

“Did you notice anything unusual? Before you left? While you were fishing? Anything at all?” Joe shook his head. “No, nothing.”

“Did you notice any wild animals? Or did you feel at any time that you were being watched?” Charlie wasn’t sure why he added the last part. He waited with baited breath while Joe seemed to think it over. His pen tapping slightly against the notepad.

„No, I don’t think so.“ Charlie wasn’t sure what he expected but the result was disappointing nonetheless. There was nothing. No clue he could go after, no mystery he could solve. Just a man and an animal attack. Just his friend lying on the wooden planks of a pier covered by a thin sheet of fabric.

“Thank you for answering my questions. Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I’m sorry for your loss too.” Joe looked at him with a fragility in his brown eyes that seemed to transfer itself on to Charlie. As if the acknowledgment that he too was grieving had somehow transformed him into glass. Charlie didn’t wait around to see if it would crack.

**

The aftermath of finding a dead body always took hours to take care of. It had already been late when Mark and Charlie had returned with Dr. Cullen to the precinct to file a report. Now it was almost midnight and everyone had already left when Charlie signed the last of the paper work. He was about to head out himself when he spotted the birthday cake sitting untouched on a table in the lobby. The sight stopped him dead in his tracks. While they were gone, Steve and Jim had cleaned up most of the decorations and returned the precinct into working order. This cake had been left untouched. As if it still waited for the person with their name written in blue frosting on it to come in and taste it. The candles were still there. Sinking into the white frosting, waiting to be lit.

Charlie sank down into the chair at the table. A numb feeling spreading in his chest as he stared at the cake Waylon had not gotten to see. It occurred to him that he should throw the cake away before insects found their ways into the building, but he didn’t move. Or maybe he could not. His limbs felt too heavy with the sudden realisation that Waylon didn’t even get to blow out some stupid candles on his birthday.

“Chief Swan?” Dr. Cullen’s voice didn’t exactly cut through the quiet. It was too soft for that. It was more like it drifted above the heavy silence and snuck into Charlie’s ears. He wasn‘t at all surprised that the doctor had stuck around. Dr. Cullen had been looking at him from time to time during their work. As if he had wanted to say something, but then thought better of it.

“Is there something you need?” In contrast Charlie’s voice sounded heavy and fatigued. It didn’t drift above but rather slid through the silence to be received by whoever dared to catch it.

“No, not exactly.” Just like his voice Dr. Cullen seemed to drift over. One second standing at the door and the next in front of him looking down on him with kind eyes. “There‘s nothing more we can do today. Maybe it‘s time to go home.“

Charlie nodded in agreement and didn’t move a muscle. With no strength left to pick himself up and start the track home, he continued staring at the unlit candles. For a few moments the silence seemed impenetrable. As if the barrier of acquaintanceship allowed neither one of them to break it. Charlie expected Dr. Cullen to leave, go home to his family and leave this mess behind him. Instead the doctor pulled up a chair and sat down on the opposite side of the table.

“He never made it to the party.” Charlie still couldn’t tear his gaze away from this stupid birthday cake that wasn’t even a birthday cake anymore because the person it belonged to was dead. “We had planned it for weeks and he didn’t even get to see it.”

“I’m sure he would have loved it.” There was something about the soft reassurance in the doctor’s voice that made him want to sob.

“Yeah, he loves... loved birthdays.” The past tense didn’t feel quite right on his tongue. He hated how familiar the feeling was.

“That’s his cake, isn’t it?” The doctor turned the plate around. The sound of scraping porcelain on wood somehow deafening in the silence. His golden gaze taking in the amateur frosting that still spelled out Waylon’s name. “We should light the candles.”

“Why?” Charlie fought the urge to tug the plate back into his possession and protect it from pale, wandering hands.

“Because Waylon didn’t get to see them.” Dr. Cullen said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like the words didn’t rub salt into an already bleeding wound.

“He still won’t.”

“Perhaps.” The doctor shrugged. His pale blue shirt crinkling at the shoulders. Charlie eyed the doctor. His rumpled hair, the pulled up sleeves of his shirt and the dark bags that always seemed to adorn his eyes. Dr. Cullen loosened his tie, somehow managing to look even more tired than he did before. “But maybe he’s watching and we’re lighting the candles for him because he can’t. Either way we’re honouring Waylon Forge.”

Somehow sensing that Charlie wasn’t going to do it, Dr. Cullen reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. With a flick of his wrist and press of his finger a little light bloomed to life in his hand. He brought the flame to a candle but stopped halfway thorough. Expectant eyes rested upon Charlie who only found the strength in him to nod. The pale hand guided the light to all 12 candles sticking out of the cake. Charlie wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Somehow lighter and more grounded at the same time. The cake was turned around again. The name now pointing into empty air. When Charlie closed his eyes, he could see Waylon standing there smiling down at the lights

They sat in silence for what felt like hours but could have only been minutes. When Charlie opened his eyes again, the candles had almost completely burned down. Dr. Cullen was still sitting there. Watching the flames eat at the candles, lost in thought.

“They are ruining the cake.” Charlie noted. Drops of coloured wax had dripped down on to the frosting. The doctor’s eyes didn’t leave the flames for a few seconds longer before he nodded and righted himself.

“We should put them out.”

“Yeah. “ Charlie took a little shaking breath, leaned forward and blew on the candles. Tears gathered in his eyes. He made no move to stop them. Dr. Cullen stood up and moved away. After a few seconds Charlie could hear the clink of cutlery bumping into each other. A few cupboards were opened and closed and then Dr. Cullen was back with a knife and a small plate. He cut out a small piece of cake and put it on the plate. Then he placed it to the side of the table where Charlie had imagined Waylon to be.

"Happy Birthday, Waylon.“ Dr. Cullen said softly, his hand lingering on the plate for a moment before he sat back down.

"Happy Birthday, Waylon.“ Charlie echoed and broke down sobbing.

It felt good. Cathartic even. Usually he was the type of person who kept things bottled up. Charlie had never been open about his feelings with anyone, not even himself. Allthough Dr. Cullen didn’t move away at all, he somehow managed to give him some space. Once Charlie calmed down, the doctor reached into his pocket and gave him a handkerchief. Charlie didn’t know that people even carried these anymore.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“This is kind of embarrassing.” Charlie traced the embroidered C.C. with a thumb to avoid looking into his eyes.

Dr. Cullen chuckled, an easy smile playing on his lips. “It doesn’t have to be. We’ve all been there.”

“You’re really good at this.” Charlie wiped away the lingering wetness on his face.

“Comforting people? I sure hope so. I do have five teenagers at home.”

“Can’t imagine what that is like.” Charlie returned the fabric and Dr. Cullen took it back. Their fingers brushed against each other. Charlie was not surprised to find out that they were as cold as any doctors hands felt during an examination.

“Loud.” The doctor answered after a bit of thinking. “Sometimes way too quiet. That’s how you know something is up. They are all so independent and ‘grown up’” Charlie could hear the air quotes around that one. “That I sometimes have to remind them that they can rely on me.“ From the way the golden eyes rested upon Charlie, he could tell that it was those fatherly feelings that had made the doctor stay. It didn’t really make sense, considering that Charlie was older than him.

“Why did you take in so many kids?” The doctor blinked, caught off guard by the question. Charlie suddenly felt bad for asking. “Sorry, Dr. Cullen. You don’t have to answer that if you’re not...”

The doctor interrupted him with an easy smile. “Oh please. After all this I think we’re on first name basis now. Call me Carlisle.”

“Then you should call me Charlie.”

“My pleasure.” Dr Cul- Carlisle leaned back. His smile softened a bit. “To answer your question, I can’t look away when I see people in need. My youth had been... a struggle and I want to help anyone struggling with a similar fate.” The wording seemed off to Charlie. He wasn’t exactly sure why. Hearing the word youth from someone who barely looked old enough to be a medical practitioner felt odd. He was still mulling over the word fate, when Carlisle spoke up again.

“It’s getting awfully late.” A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was half past midnight.

“Yeah. We should get going.” Charlie looked down at the cake, not sure what he was supposed to do with it now. “Want to take it with you?”

“Hmm?” There were a few seconds of confused silence, but then Carlisle’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, you mean the cake?”

“Yeah, maybe your kids wanna eat it. I doubt anyone would eat the cake, if we left it here.” No one at the precinct needed a reminder that one of their own didn’t make it to their birthday party.

“My kids...” There was a brief moment of hesitation. “Of course. Thank you, Charlie. I will gladly take it.” That was... weird. But he choose not to comment and instead got up to wrap the plate up in foil.

After that they left the building. Breathing in the fresh, cold air made Charlie feel immediately better. While he closed up the precinct, Carlisle stood to the side holding the plate as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

“Thank you.” Charlie, who was habitually embarrassed by expressing his emotions, somehow didn’t feel awkward at all. “For staying and talking with me. I really needed not to be alone.” The doctor beamed at him. The awkwardness washing out of his posture. After this evening Charlie swore he would never again judge a woman for swooning over Dr. Cullen. Not only did he look like a model, he also had the heart of a saint. Charlie could definitely not compete and somehow he was okay with that.

“I’m glad I could be of help.” Carlisle pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll give you my number. In case you need anything.” Surprised Charlie fumbled for his own phone. They exchanged numbers. Charlie saving his contact as _Doc_ because he accidentally pressed save before he was finished typing. Seeing this Carlisle chuckled and changed his contact from _Charlie Swan_ to _Chief_. “You can call me anytime.” Charlie had heard the phrase often throughout his life, but never had he felt like someone actually meant it. It was nice hearing the sincerity in Carlisle’s voice for a change.

“Yeah, likewise.” “Good night, Chief. Stay safe.” Carlisle made his way to his car - a black Mercedes that somehow seemed too expensive for the kind of salary he was making here in forks. Meanwhile Charlie stood there, looking after him and wondering if he had just made a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the fact that Carlisle was turned when he was 23. Can you imagine this young guy who looks like he's fresh out of college running around town with his wife and his five adopted teenagers, owning a fancy house and already being a successfull doctor? And somehow they all look a bit similar: pale, handsome, the same kind of eyes. And they also conveniently disappear everytime the sun is shining to go "hiking". Everyone must have thought they were a cult or something.


	4. Whenever you feel like maybe being around people is not that bad, some asshole has to come along and ruin it

The moment Charlie pulled up to the precinct, he regretted even coming here. There was a small cluster of reporters waiting outside of the station. Charlie would have to go through them to get in. They would ask questions that Charlie would not answer and generally be a nuisance. How did they not get that they were going to inform them the moment they had all the necessary information? 

Charlie sighed, took a deep breath to steal his nerves and got out of his car. Five steps later the first reporter caught sight of him. Charlie avoided eye contact, pushing past the reporters without looking at any of them.

“Chief Swan, is it true that Waylon Forge was attacked by a Wolf last night?“

“I can‘t comment on that right now.“ 

“Do you believe there is a connection to the case in Mason County?“ 

“This behaviour is highly unusual for animals. How do you explain that a wild animal attacked two different humans in such a short time?“

“What steps are the Forks Police taking in ensuring the safety of our citizens?“

Charlie ignored the rest of the questions. Repeating his mantra of “No comment” until he got into the building. The place was buzzing with activity. 

Stacey was on the phone and she barely looked up when she saw him. Only rolling her eyes exasperatedly and then going back to staring at her perfectly manicured nails. They knew each other long enough for Charlie to know that she had an overly concerned citizen on the other end of the line. 

Seemed like Charlie would need a nice cup of coffee to deal with this day. He made a beeline for the kitchen, side stepping Mark who was also on the phone and gave him a funny look. Charlie didn’t even consider stopping to ask what his problem was. Coffee first. Colleagues second.

“Whoa, wait. What are you doing here?“ A startled Steve appeared in the doorframe of the kitchen. He had two cups of coffee in his hand and the liquid sloshed a little. One cup spilled over the rim onto his hand and Steve cursed.

“Getting coffee.” Steve pressed one of the cups in his hands. It was hot and Charlie had to fumble a bit to grip the handle before he burned his fingers.

“Yeah, I figured.” Steve licked up the liquid on his hand and then wiped the rest of on his jeans. “I mean what are you doing at work? I thought, you would take a day off.”

“And leave you all alone with this mess?”

“Charlie, your friend just died.” Blue eyes looked at him all bright and earnest. Charlie had to look away. “You should go home. Get some rest.”

“Yeah... no.” He brought the cup slowly to his lips. When Steve didn’t stop him, he took a careful sip of coffee. Black. Exactly what he needed right now. “You need to go through me if you want to speak to the press and we need to make a statement, warn the citizens, arrange for a few hunters to help us track the animal, notify Mason County...” Charlie was counting off his fingers but stopped when he noticed Steve’s exasperated stare.

“Fine, but as soon as we don’t need you specifically anymore, you’re out of here.” The deputy pushed past him and Charlie followed.

“Great. What’s the status?”

”Mark is already contacting a few of our hunters. They should be here by noon. Jim and I are putting together a press statement and a warning that our intern can post around town. We could use your help.” They arrived at Jim’s desk who was studiously squinting his eyes at a word document. 

“Good morning, Officer Jim.” The officer in question jumped in his chair and spun around.

“Chief! So good to see you!” At least someone appreciated his efforts in turning up towork. “Steve and I were just debating whether we should call you. Glad that you’re ...” Jim trailed off, his dark eyes flicking between Deputy Steve and Charlie, before he added in a scandalous tone of voice: “Wait, where’s my coffee?”

“Oh uh... I” Conflicted Steve looked down at his cup for a few seconds, before he sighed and gave it to Jim. “I already drank two cups this morning anyway.” Jim beamed at him, happily sipping at his cup and Charlie suddenly felt like he was interrupting something. He cleared his throat.

“So the press statement...?” 

“Yes, so this is what we’ve got.” 

They spent about half an hour putting it together. Charlie insisted on only putting in the necessary details. No need to scare the people more than they had to. Then they recycled some old warning signs. Telling people to stay out of the woods and contact the police if they saw a wild animal somewhere. It was quick work and they could have done it without Charlie, but he liked having something to do.

“That’s it.” Steve stretched his arms above his head. “I will go talk to the press now and you are going home.” Charlie had dreaded hearing those words.

“Right after I contact Mason County.”

“No, Jim can do that. You’re going home. You need to take better care of yourself.” Ah, there it was. The big sad eyes, that worried frown. Charlie had been waiting for this. Deputy Steve’s look of disappointment. He withstood the attack for about five seconds before he had to avert his eyes. Fuck. How did that work on him every time?

“I am on both cases so it would make only sense for me...” Charlie protested although he knew that he had already lost that battle.

“It would only make sense for you to go home and give yourself some time to grief. It’s what you would tell anyone else in your position.” Now that was just plain unfair. How was Charlie going to argue with that?

“Geez, okay. I’m leaving.” He put his hands up in surrender and was rewarded with a warm smile.

** ** **

Charlie went out through the backdoor. Careful to keep himself out of sight of the press, he walked around the building and to his car. He was about to get in, when his phone chimed with the promise of a text message.

_ Doc: Hello Charlie. How are you holding up?  _

Charlie was pleasantly surprised that Carlisle was checking in with him. So he did make a friend yesterday. How the hell had that happened? He instinctively typed in ‘fine‘ but that was an obvious lie. 

_ Chief: Better. Work is hectic _

_ Doc: You went to work? _

Somehow Charlie could hear the disapproval through the text message

_ Chief: Yeah, had to. But one of my deputies kicked me out _

_ Doc: That’s unfortunate. _

_ Chief: Really? _

_ Doc: No, I was trying to be considerate. _

_ Chief: Thanks? _

_ Doc: You should take some time to yourself to process everything that happened. _

_ Chief: I’m trying not to... _

_ Doc: Well, I’m no therapist but refusing to deal with your problems does not seem healthy.  _

_ Doc: Maybe you can spend some time with a friend? I know it can be hard to be alone in times like these. _

Charlie did not expect to be called out via text. How did he manage to attract so many people into his life who forced him into self-care? He knew from experience that Carlisle was right. Maybe he should take a break, see Billy and ... He wasn’t sure what would happen next, but it probably beat staying at home and moping. 

_ Doc: I apologise. Did I cross a line? _

_ Chief: No, no you didn’t _

_ Doc: What are you going to do then? I’m afraid I will have to prepare for a patient in a few moments.  _

_ Chief: Take your advice _

_ Doc: Excellent.  _

Charlie sighed and typed in Billy‘s number in his phone. Leaning back against his car, he thought of what he wanted to say, his thumb hovering over the call button. ‚Hey Billy! Waylon‘s dead. Got some time to hang out?‘ No, that was horrible. ‚Hey Billy. Did you hear about Waylon? He got attacked by an animal yesterday. Do you want to hang out?‘ Okay, no, scratch that last part. ‚Do you have some time right now?‘ That sounded better. He could do that. Mentally repeating what he wanted to say, Charlie was about to hit the green telephone icon, when someone next to him spoke up. 

Surprised Charlie jumped, dropping his phone. He tried to catch it in his hands, but only managed to somehow hit it further into the air and past his fingers. A pale hand shot out, catching it in barely the blink of an eye. 

“I’m sorry.” A voice smooth like honey said. Charlie’s eyes slowly wandered up the leather clad arm to an incredibly pale face that was hovering way too close to his own. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

The voice belonged to a man that was about his height. He had short brown hair and wore an old pair of washed out blue jeans with an equally washed out blue shirt. But that was not what had caught Charlie’s attention. It was the red contacts the man was wearing, making his eyes shine in the colour of blood. 

“It’s alright.” Somehow his heart did not seem to think so. It was still beating wildly and made no indication of calming down anytime soon. “I just didn’t notice you. Is all.”

“Yes, you were staring quite... intently on your phone.” The man smiled, hand still outstretched. He offered him his phone. Charlie had to almost physically tear his gaze away from the man’s eyes. Slowly taking the phone back, fingers brushing against freezing skin. His gaze slipped past their hands, settling on pale, bare feet against cool asphalt. 

“Can... can I help you with something?” Charlie had to clear his throat in an attempt to steady his voice. His eyes flicked back to the man’s face that was somehow uninteresting and still impossible to look away from. 

“Yes, I believe you can.” The man took a step back, creating some much needed distance between them. It made it easier to breathe which prompted Charlie to take some deep breaths to calm his racing heart. “I was wondering about the attack yesterday. My friends and I are camping in the area and I’m not sure it’s safe anymore.” 

Charlie blinked, trying to process the information. The red eyes did not once leave his face. Scrutinising him with an intensity that seemed to strip away layers of his skin, leaving him bare and vulnerable.

“We’re advising everyone to stay out of the woods for the time being.” The stranger nodded, but didn’t seem all too disappointed. 

“I thought so. Well, it shouldn’t be of any concern. I was planning on visiting someone anyway.” 

“The Cullens?” The connection was made instantly in his head. Charlie wondered if they were related. Of course they looked nothing alike. The man’s features were so incredibly ordinary that Charlie didn’t even know if he could describe them. But they did have the same paper-white skin tone, the same cold hands and something about him... The stillness, the staring... It reminded Charlie of a creepy version of the Cullens. 

“Yes, do you know them?” The man seemed somehow pleased, but Charlie wasn’t sure why.

“It’s a small town.”

“So, I’ve noticed.” 

When the strangers eyes finally did leave his face - ruby gaze tracing down to his chest, as if he could see his heart struggle to climb out of his chest- Charlie felt something snap. His eyes, previously locked in a gaze, were now free to roam. Latching on to the leather jacket instead. A well-worn piece of clothing that seemed a little too big at the shoulders. 

For a split second he was sure that the universe was torturing him. Because what where the fucking odds that he was going to meet a stranger who owned the exact same leather jacket that Waylon always used to wear? There was a hitch in his breath and a dull pain in his chest at the thought of his friend. 

“Is everything alright?” 

“What?” Charlie blinked, shook his head and looked up again. The stranger was still staring at him. Head cocked to the side, eyes searching his face and a lazy smile playing on his lips. 

“You were breathing funny.” The man explained. Charlie wondered why the fuck he thought Charlie’s breathing was any of his business. 

“Yeah, everything is fine.” There was a brief pause, a silence so uncomfortable that even Charlie, expert at creating uncomfortable silences, couldn’t stand it. “I’m sorry, who are you again?” 

The man barked out a laugh that did not dissipate the tension in the air at all.

“My bad. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m James.” He offered out his hand again, pale and somehow shining in the faint light seeping through the clouds. Like glitter that clung to the skin and reflected even the tiniest bit of light. Out of a misplaced sense for manners Charlie took it. His warm hand was suddenly engulfed in a grip that was cold and hard and unrelenting. 

“I’m -“

“Charlie Swan, Chief of Police.” James said before he got a chance to finish his sentence. Charlie bristled. Somehow uncomfortable with the fact that this stranger knew his name, even if it was well known in Forks. 

“Right.” They let go of each other’s hand (there was a brief moment where Charlie had already let go and his gentle tug had been met with resistance) and he wished that he had more space to back away, because James wasn’t.

“It was a pleasure.” James lips spread a little too wide in his smile. The expression seeming more like a baring of teeth. It made Charlie’s skin crawl. “I’m looking forward to meeting you again.” He honestly could not return the sentiment. 

Before he had the chance to say anything, his phone went off in his hand. Charlie almost jumped out of his skin a second time. In the mere seconds it took him to look down, read Billy Black’s name on the display and look back up, James had disappeared. Alarmed Charlie straightened up. Head swivelling around to try and find short brown hair and well-worn clothes, but the man was nowhere to be found. 

Slowly Charlie got into his car, closed the door and locked it. The phone was still ringing, it’s loudness deafening in the silence of the car. Then it stopped. For a few moments he sat there motionless, staring out of the windshield and replaying the last few minutes in his mind. 

Had he... had he imagined it? The experience was so surreal that Charlie couldn’t rule out that possibility. The man had appeared out of thin air and been gone in the blink of an eye. But it had _seemed_ real. He had shook the man’s hand, felt the coldness and hardness of his skin.

His phone rang again. Display lighting up and spelling out Billy’s name. Charlie took a deep breath to steady himself, thumb hovering over the accept button. There was a crack in the screen that hadn’t been there before. A small spider web in the upper left corner. 

Charlie traced it with a finger and positioned his hand in such a way that his pointer finger touched the spider web, imitating the hold James had had on his phone. Then he squeezed a little. Nothing happened. Again, harder this time. Still nothing. No new cracks appeared. 

The ringing stopped, display going black again. Charlie kept staring at it for a few more seconds, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. Then he called back Billy. 

** ** **

Sitting at the La Push Beach and listening to the waves try to flood the earth, never failed to calm him down. Billy and Charlie often went there to talk and stare at the water. The ocean had a way of filling the occasional silence between them like a third voice. 

“I can’t believe Waylon is gone.” Billy said after a while. They hadn’t been close, but friends in a way you were with people who spent a lot of time with your actual friends.

“Me neither.” Talking about Waylon hurt. Charlie wanted to skip all the steps of grief and jump to that part where he could think about him without feeling an ache in his chest. 

“I heard it was an animal attack?” Charlie nodded. Taking a sip from his beer. Billy was watching him. He could see it out of the corner of his eyes. “What kind?”

“I don’t know. A wolf or maybe even bear. Same thing happened in Mason County.” There was a second, a horribly long second where Charlie wondered if Waylon’s death was his fault. If there was something he could have done in Mason County that could have prevented this.

“It’s not your fault.” Billy said.

“I never said that it was.”

“You didn’t have to. I know that look on your face.” In moments like this Charlie could never decide if he liked to be known that intimately. “And whatever you’re thinking: It’s bullshit.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.” Charlie argued.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s bullshit.” Billy leaned forward, searching for eye contact and Charlie reluctantly obliged. “None of this could ever be your fault. You don’t control where an animal moves next.“ 

They held eye contact for a few more seconds, until Charlie nodded and looked away. A silence stretched between them that was comfortable. Something that had been a given a few years ago and now only rarely happened. He let it wash over him and felt something within him settle.

“How are your kids?” He asked after a while. Billy was happy to fill the silence. Rachel was busy as always with her studies, while Rebecca had just sent him a painting of LA.

“And Jacob...” Billy sighed, a strange kind of worry filled look entered his eyes. 

”Is he in trouble?“

”No, not at all.“ His friend shook his head, as if he was physically dispelling the feeling. “He’s doing fine. It’s just... They grow up so fast. Soon he’s going to be eighteen, finish school and leave like his sisters.” It didn’t feel like the whole truth, but Charlie decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

”Yeah, tell me about it.”

“What about Bella?” The question brought on another kind of sadness that Charlie had forgotten about. 

“She’s not coming.” He said, looking down at his hands. “René and Phil had a big fight and she’s not leaving for now. So Bells decided to stay.”

“I‘m sorry.” Billy said, then added: “So I get to keep the car, huh?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I need two. That would be a bit excessive.” He smiled a little.

“Excessive?” His friend echoed. “Two cars are a perfectly good amount of cars. It’s nice to change it up sometime. You should try it.”

“It’s a work car, Billy.” Charlie rolled his eyes fondly. He turned to be able to look at Billy again, eyes catching the sight of a woman walking up to them. Was that Sue?

“Yeah maybe, but no one else drives around in a police car all day, Charlie.” He had a point. Not that Charlie was going to admit that. 

“It’s just more efficient.” He awkwardly raised his hand in greeting, smiling in relief when the person waved back. So it was Sue. Billy turned his head around to see what he was looking at. 

“Sue, there you are! I was going to call you, but I...” Billy began when she was close enough to hear them.

“No, you were not.” She walked straight past Billy and sat down on the log. Charlie did not have a moment to prepare for arms coming around him and pressing him into a tight hug.

“Hello to you too.” He chuckled, hesitating a moment before placing his arm on her back. The hug was nice, warm and comforting. Charlie couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged him. 

“I’m so sorry. I heard what happened to Waylon this morning.” Sue whispered, her voice wavering. After a while Charlie retracted his arms. Not sure how long hugging was appropriate, when you were hugging a married woman. “You should have called yesterday. We would have been there for you.” 

Behind her Billy nodded. A warm feeling spread in his chest and Charlie couldn’t believe that he had considered not coming here. 

“Always.” Billy added. “You don’t have to go through everything alone, you know.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t alone last night. Carlisle-“ He stopped. Snapping his mouth shut. Fuck. He hadn’t meant to mention the doctor. The Cullens were kind of a sore topic around here. 

“Who?” Sue looked confused for a second but Billy did not. There was surprise in his dark eyes and then something that could have been worry. 

“Carlisle Cullen?” He asked, stressing the last name. That managed to get a reaction from Sue. Although Charlie did not quite get why. 

“Oh, are you two close?” She did not seem happy about it and all Charlie could do was feel a little betrayed. 

“Not really.” He said, buying himself some time to think his next words through. “But we worked together last night and he stayed behind to make sure I was okay.” 

“He was with the paramedics?” 

“Yeah, you know they are always short on staff.” Billy and Sue exchanged a look. This kind of meaningful look full of silent communication that made Charlie feel like an outsider. Again. Then Sue smiled and placed a hand on his knee. 

“Charlie, you know I love you, and I’m happy that you weren’t completely alone last night. But the Cullens are bad news. You have to trust me on this, okay?”

Knowing that he would not get a straight answer Charlie asked: “Why?” and watched the two of them exchange another one of their secret glances. 

“I know I said it before and I’ll say it again: The Cullens are not what they seem.” Billy looked at him, imploring him to listen. He wasn’t wrong. Charlie knew that there was something off about them, but as far as he was concerned that wasn’t any of his business. They were good people. That was all that mattered. 

“Can we please not do this today?” Or ever again. He searched for Sues black eyes, knowing that she would give in faster than Billy. The last time he and Charlie had argued about this, they hadn’t talked to each other for months.

“Of course.” Sue smiled, dropping the topic before Billy could say something else. She slid a little closer, so that their legs were touching. Showing him that there was no harm done to their friendship. It was comforting. “Let’s talk about something else.” 

When Charlie looked at Billy, he could already tell that this conversation was far from over. His friend only sighed deeply, slumping a bit in his chair as if the weight of the world was weighing him down. They sat in silence for a while. Listening to the waves and cackling of seagulls. They picked the conversation back up again, pretending that the last few minutes hadn’t happened, but it still didn’t feel quite the same. 

** **  **

That night, after Charlie had gotten home, he texted Carlisle. 

_ Chief: Do you know anyone called James? _

He did not get a reply right away. So he went into the kitchen to heat up a microwave dinner. He couldn’t be bothered to try and fail at cooking today. He had eaten more than enough of his miserable cooking to last him a life time. 

_ Doc: I‘m afraid, you‘re going to have to be more specific than that. I know a lot of people called James.  _

Charlie sighed. Of course. James was a pretty common name. He tried to remember his most striking characteristics, but the only thing unusual about him were the red contacts.

_ Chief: About 5'10", short brown hair, average looking, wears worn clothes and red contacts but no shoes, has no regards for personal space _

There was another long pause, this one seeming quite deliberate. Charlie took his freshly warmed pasta out of the microwave, burning his fingers in the process. Feeling a bit disappointed in himself, he dropped the container on a plate and grabbed a fork. When he sat down at the table, he found that he could not bring himself to eat anything. He glanced at his phone again.

_ Doc: Red contacts? _

Seriously? That was his only take away?

_ Chief: Yeah, guy was a creep _

There was another small pause, then:

_ Doc: I don’t think anyone I know of fits that description. May I ask why you are asking me this? Is he a criminal? _

For some reason Charlie felt a little relieved that Carlisle did not know James. At the same time it also did not manage to confirm that this strange encounter had happened, so there was that. 

_ Chief: Not sure if he’s a criminal. He mentioned, wanting to visit you _

_ Doc: He did? _

_ Chief: Don’t ask me. I have no idea. But I’ll keep a look out in case he’s a thief or something  _

_ Doc: Thank you. _

It took a while of staring at his cooling pasta, until Charlie felt he could eat something again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Chapter Titles:  
> “Stop telling me to take care of myself, I‘M A GROWN MAN“ or “Does stranger danger include weirdly dressed people with red eyes and no regards for personal space?“ or “I love all my friends equally, but if Billy and I have another fight I‘m gonna lose it“
> 
> I know it’s been a while but this work is not getting abandoned. I had to take care of a few things that prevented me from writing, but now I’m back on track and the long waits are over.


End file.
